Mold for parts of knitting machinery



June 14, 1938. J. MORTON MOLD FOR PARTS OF KNITTING MACHINERY 2Sheets-Sheet l Original Filed Jan. 8, 1936 June 14, 1938. J o fo MOLDFOR PARTS OF KNITTING MACHINERY Original Fil e'd Jan. 8, 1936 2Sheetsshat 2 720 9752 07 azzzesw/zazz an assembly constituting a singleunit.

Patented June 14, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOLD FOR PARTS OFKNITTING MACHINERY England Original application January 8, 1936, SerialNo.

58,176. Divided and this application Septemher 4, 1936, Serial No.99,494. ain, January 19, 1935 '7 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of knitting-machine needle andlike assemblies (or so-called sections) each consisting of a group ofneedles or the like secured in a support, such By the term needles orthe like is meant knitting needles, hooked or otherwise, thread-guides(sometimes called pillar-fingers), sinkers, and like working parts ofknitting machines -particularly those known as warp knitting machines.

Such needle or like assemblies areusually arranged side-by-side alongsome form of carrying bar (such as a guide bar, needle-bar or asinkerbar) to which the supports are attached, the needles or the likeextending in a closely spaced series. The said supports are usuallymolded of lead or a lead alloy, in which the needles or the like areembedded while the metal is molten but zinc alloys have also beenproposed having a specific gravity as low as 4.6. The supports areremovably attached to the carrying bars to facilitate replacement of anyassembly having a broken needle or the like. It has heretofore beenconsidered essential to employ metal, or a metallic alloy, forsupporting the needles and the like on account of the necessity forsecuring them rigidly in precise co-relationship and maintaining suchco-relationship throughout their life.

A disadvantage associated with the use of metallic supports is thattheir weight is a factor requiring to be taken into seriousconsideration when designing the machines and materially limits thespeed of operation and consequently the output of the machines.Experiments made with knitting machinery, particularly with Warpknitting machinery, embodying various improvements directed towards theattainment of speeds of operation and outputs materially higher thanheretofore, have indicated that owing to the considerable weight of therapidly moving masses, stresses of such magnitude are set up in themachine as to neutralize the benefit of the improvements and prevent therealization of the high speeds and outputs forwhich the machinery wasdesigned.

In order to overcome the aforesaid disadvantage, needle and likeassemblies having supports made of various materials have been tried andI have now found, after careful selection and trial, that by using alight-weight organic molding material, or so-called plastic for examplea resinoid material such as bakelite, in which the needles or the likeare set or embedded by a molding operation under heat and pressure,supports with the needles or the like positively held In GreatBrittherein in correct order and co-relationship can be produced, thesesupports being strong and hard and being capable of retaining theirstrength and hardness under normal working conditions and being also ofsuch lightness as to enable them to be used effectively in machinesdesigned to run at a high speed.

' The object of the present invention is to provide a mold for use inthe manufacture of an assembly of knitting-machine working parts.

The mold may comprise an outer shell, a partsupporting structure whichfits into said shell and presents an open space, means for locating agroup of knitting-machine working parts sideby-side with portionsthereof extending into said open space, which latter can be filled withlightweight molding material to surround said portions, and a closureadapted to fit into said shell to close said space and press upon saidpowder.

Means provided for locating and maintaining the needles or the like incorrect order and @0- relationship preparatory to and during the moldingoperation, may consist of or include accurately spaced serrations orrack members or a light frame in, or adapted to fit in, the mold, inwhich serrations, members, or frame, the needles or the like arearranged, the plastic material being supplied in powder form to the moldinterior so as closely to surround the shanks of the needles or the likeand, when the material is set, to hold them permanently and securely inposition. The said serrations or serrated members may be provided notonly externally but also internally of the mold.

In the preferred construction, the mold is provided with serrations andat least one group of knitting needles or the like are accurately heldin place thereby, molding powder in fine condition is charged into themold and closely pressed round the shanks of the needles or the like,then the mold is closed and placed in a steam or electrically heatedpress and, finally, subjected to such heat and pressure as to convertthe powder into a hard solid body constituting the support which, whenremoved from the mold, has the group of needles or the likesecurely-embedded therein ready to be utilized in a knitting machine.

In use of such a mold the needles or the like are positively held incorrect position and relationship by the serrations of the mold whilethe molding composition attaches itself to and sup ports them so thatwhen the molding operation is finished the needles or the like are heldvery securely in place and project regularly and evenly from thesupport.

.of the die 2|.

Each support may be molded with two holes permitting it to be removablyattached by screws, or otherwise, to its carrying bar or the like.

It is to be understood that the expression a light-weight organicmolding material as used herein is intended to cover such moldableresinoi'd substances as the swnthetic resins and compositions thereofand, in particular, such resins;

or resinous compositions as are thermo-plastic and thermo-setting, forinstance, the phenolic resinous material known as Bakelite, but it isnot confined thereto as other well known organic substances orcompositions which are thermo-plastic and of a specific gravityappreciably less than the aforesaid metallic alloys and which, whenmolded under heat and pressure Will be strong and set hard and willretain their strength and hardness under normal working conditions, canbe used.

Of course as required for strength and lightness suitable lightweightfillers would be chosen for the molding compositions, a variety of suchfillers. being obtainable.

The invention will now be described simply by way of example and withreference to the accompanying drawings, as applied to needles and likeworking parts of warp knitting machines. On the drawings:-

Fig. 1 is an elevation of an assembly comprising a group ofthread-guides and. their Bakelite support.

Fig. 2isa sectionon the line. ll-H of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a plan of a mold with parts thereof removed to exposethread-guides embedded in Bakelite, and Fig. 4 is a correspondingsectional fragmentary. plan drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line V--V of Fig. 3, Fig. 5 being drawn to alarger scale than Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic perspective View, drawn to an enlarged scale,showing how the thread-guides are locatedin the mold.

Figs. 7, 8, 9, and were sectional perspective views of assembliescomprising groups of latch knitting-needles, sinkers, plush-needles (i.e. pileforming needles) and bearded knitting-needles, respectively, andtheir Bakelite supports.

Referring to Figs. land 2, the assembly therein shownconsists of a groupof thread-guides l each formed with a thread-guiding eye or hole H andeach including a stem 12, the guidesbeing arranged side-by-sid-e andbeing precisely equispaced. The support consists of a thin block l3 ofBakelite from one side of which the guides Hi all project to the sameextent. The support I3 is formedwith a shoulder 14 and flange l havingscrew holes 16 and isthereby adapted for removable attachment in theusual manner to a guide-bar (not shown in this view) to which a numberof sid-e-by-side guide-holding supports similar to the support l3 wouldbe likewise attached.

In Figs. 3 to 6 a suitable form of mold has been shown which is adaptedto mold at one operation Bakelite supports for two separate groups ofthread-guides ill. The mold structure includes an outer shell 20; intowhich the mold' proper fits. ,The chief elements constituting-the moldproper are a lower die 2! and duplicate upper dies 22, theseelementsbeing separable. Core pins 23' driven tightly into holes in the lowerdie: 24 andregistrable with holes in the upper dies 22- serve to formthe screw-holes IS.

The thread-guides ID are spaced apart by series of; internal serrations24- provided at both sides The thread-guides areadditionally supportedby a plain external rest-face 25 and an external serrated rest 26 oneach of two members 21 inserted into the die 2|. The members 2! arespaced apart by a distance-piece 28 held by a screw 29 to the die 2|. Apin 30 fitted neatly through the thread-guiding eyes ll of each group ofthread guides and adapted to seat itself on the external serrations 26serves to maintain the heads of said guides in precise alignment. Themembers 21 and distance-pieces 28 co-operate with an upper clamp 3|which holds the heads of the guides securely in place.

Theserrations are accurately made so as to ensure that the needles orthe like shall be held in correct relationship during the moldingoperation.

In the use of the mold, the lower die 2| with the members 2'! anddistance-piece 28 thereon are fitted into the shell 20. Thethread-guides H) are arranged in two groups, with the pins 30 threadedthrough the eyes ll of the guides of the respective groups, the guidesbeing accurately disposed between and laterally. supported by theserrations 24 and 2B and also supported by the faces 25. The Bakelitecomposition consisting of the required mixture of synthetic resin andsuitable filler in finely powdered form is carefully packed upon bothsides of the die, the thread-guides l0 thus becoming embedded inthepowder. The dies 22: and the clamp 3| are placed in position. Thecompletely assembled mold is put into a known form of molding press, and

pressure and heat are applied'so as to convert the composition into aBakelite body of the required hardness. After the Bakelite compositionhas been subjected to the required cooking, the mold is removed from themolding press and dismantled and the pins 23 are withdrawn from thethread-guides, whereupon the newly formed Bakelite supports l3, with thestems l2 of the thread-guides securely and permanently embedded therein,are removed.

The provision of the serrations 24 results in the formation of an openslot 32 in each support I3, said slotexposing a short portion ofeachstem I2. The effect however of this slot is negligible as regards thesecurity and rigidity with which the thread-guides are held in place.

If desired, serrations similar to the serrations 24 might also beprovided in the faces 25.

If desired, a series of double molds, each similar to the mold properabove described, may be provided so that several assemblies may beproduced at one molding operation.

If desired,- instead of forming serrations integral with the elements ofthe mold as in the construction illustrated, light frame members inwhich the thread-guides are located may be inserted-into the mold andembedded along with the thread-guides in the Bakelite.

If desired, reinforcing'material may be incorporated in the Bakelitesupport. For example, such reinforcing material may comprise a strip offabric or a thin metallic or other rod-if desired, serrated-arrangedacross the shanks and inengagement therewith.

Bakelite molding powders of the quick-flowing type, containing, forinstance, wood flour as the filler, can be advantageously employed, al-

though other fillers, such as asbestos fibre or same warp-knittingmachine to work in combina-" tionwith the thread-guides;

Fig. 7 shows members of a group of latch knitting-needles 40 whoseshanks 4| are securely embedded in a Bakelite support 42 removablyattachable to aneedle-bar (notshown in this view) to which other similarsupports would also be attached side-by-side.

Fig. 8 shows members of a group of sinkers 50 which in the constructionshown are embedded at opposite ends in a main Bakelite support 5| and anauxiliary Bakelite support 52. This auxiliary support may, if desired,be dispensed with. These sinkers 59 pass between the knitting needles tocontrol the loops formed in the threads being knitted and hold down thefabric in the usual manner. The main Bakelite support 5| is removablyattachable, side-by-side with other similar supports, to a sinker-bar(not shown).

Fig. 9 shows members of a group of plush needles 60. -Such needles canbe provided in warp knitting machines adapted to form. pile loops in thefabrics knitted by them, these pile loops extending from the knittedchains produced by the individual knitting needles. The stems 6| ofthese plush-needles are embedded in .a Bakelite support 82 securable toa plush-bar (not shown) corresponding to the needle-bar 43.

Referring to Fig. 10, the knitting-needles 10 therein shown are beardedneedles. Such needles constitute a well known alternative to the latchneedles shown in Fig. 7.

The working parts above described with reference to Figs. 7 to 10 areall assembled as groups in their Bakelite supports in substantially thesame manner as already described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6, themolds employed being modified in so far as necessary to suit thedimensional and other differences between the different parts. In thecase of the knitting needles 4!] and Ill, a positioning pincorresponding to the pin 30 can be threaded through the hooks 40 and Miof each group of needles; and in the case of the sinkers 50, apositioning pin may be placed in the recesses 51! in the sinkers of eachgroup.

The invention is suitable for application to the manufacture of needleand like assemblies including groups of needles and the like of standardform, as heretofore used in knitting machines; but, if desired, theshanks of the needles or the like may be formed with overturned endprojections which would help to lock the shanks in the plasticcomposition.

As an example of a suitable light Weight material the phenolic resinousmaterial (trade name Bakelite) has been specially referred to but otherexamples may, however, be given; for instance, cellulose derivativessuch as cellulose acetate and rubber derivatives such as ebonite.

Bakelite powder incorporating a light weight filler as aforesaid has asubstantially lower specific gravity than the metallic alloys beforementioned and it has been found a most suitable material for the needleand the like assemblies; but other light weight materials such as abovementioned have also been found to give good results.

This application is a division of my co -pending application Serial No.58,176, filed January 8, 1936.

I claim:-

1. A mold for use in the manufacture of an assembly of knitting-machineworking parts each having a recess, said mold comprising an outer shell,a part-supporting structure which fits into said shell and presents anopen space, means for locating a group of said working parts side-bysidewith the recesses thereof in alignment and with portions thereofextending into said open space, which latter can be packed withlightweight plastic material in powder form to surround said portions,said locating means including serrations provided on said structureexternally of the open space, seatings in said serrations, a rigidpositioningmember adapted for threading through said recesses and torest in said seatings, and a closure adapted to fit into said shell toclose said space and press upon said powder.

2. A mold for use in the manufacture of .an assembly of knitting-machineworking parts consisting of head portions and stem portions, said moldcomprising an outer shell, a part-supporting structure which fits intosaid shell and presents an open space, means for locating a group ofsaid working parts side-by-side with the stem portions thereof extendinginto said open spade, and with the head portions external to said space,which latter can be packed with lightweight plastic material in powderform to surround said stem portions, said locating means includingserrations on said part-supporting structure and a clamp to hold thehead portions securely in said serrations, and a closure adapted to fitalongside of said clamp into said shell to close said space and pressupon said powder.

3. A mold for use in the manufacture of an assembly of knitting-machineworking parts consisting of head portions and stem portions, said moldcomprising an outer shell, a part-supporting structure which fits intosaid shell and presents an open space, means for locating a group ofsaid working parts side-by-side with the stem portions thereof extendinginto said open space, and with the head portions external to said space,which latter is adapted to receive an organic molding material tosurround said stem portions, said 10- eating means comprising rigidspacers on said part-supporting structure internally of said open spaceto support the stem portions, rigid spacers on said structure externallyof said open space to support the head portions and a clamp to hold thehead portions securely in said spacers and a closure .adapted to fitalongside of said clamp into said shell to close said space and pressupon said material.

4. A mold for use in the manufacture of an assembly of knitting-machineworking parts consisting of head portions and stem portions, said moldcomprising a part-supporting structure presenting an open space, rigidmeans for locating a group of said working parts in precise side-by-sideco-relationship, with the stem portions thereof extending into said openspace, and with the head portions external to said space, which latteris adapted to receive an organic molding material to surround said stemportions, said locating means comprising rigid spacers on saidpart-supporting structure internally of said open space to support thestem portions, rigid spacers on said structure externally of said openspace to support the head portions and a clamp to hold the head portionssecurely in said external spacers, and closure means to close said spaceand press upon said material.

5. A mold for use in the manufacture of an assembly of knitting-machineworking parts consisting of head portions and stem portions, said moldcomprising a part-supporting structure presenting an open space, rigidmeans for locating a group of said working parts spaced apart in preciseside-by-side co-relationship, with the stem portions thereof extendinginto said open space and with the head portions external to said space,which latter is adapted to receive an organic molding material tosurround said stem portions, said rigid locating means comprisingserrated spacers on said part-supporting structure to support the stemportions, said spacers projecting into the interior of the open space soas to be embedded along with the stem portions in the molding material,and serrated spacers on said structure externally of said open space tosupport the head portions, and a closure means to close said space andpress upon said material.

6. A mold for use in the manufacture of an assembly of knitting-machineworking parts each having a recess, said mold comprising apartsupporting structure presenting an open space, rigid meansexternally of said space for locating a group of said working parts inprecise sideby-side co-relationship, with the recesses thereof inalignment and with portions thereof extending into said open space,which latter is adapted to receive an organic molding material tosurround said portions, seatings in said locating means, a rigidpositioning member adapted for threading through said recesses and torest in said seatings, and closure means to close said space and pressupon said material.

7. A mold for use in the manufacture of an assembly of knitting-machineworking parts each comprising a stem and a portion with a recess, saidmold comprising a part-supporting structure presenting an open space,rigid means for locating a group of said working parts in preciseside-by-side co-relationship, with the recesses thereof in alignment andwith the recessed portions thereof extending into said open space, whichlatter is adapted to receive an organic molding material to surroundsaid portions, said locating means comprising serrations provided onsaid structure internally of the open space to receive the stems of thegroup of said working part and serrations provided on said structureexternally of the open space to receive the recessed portions, seatingsin the last-mentioned serrations, a rigid positioning member adapted forthreading through said recesses and to rest in said seatings, andclosure means to close said space and press upon said material.

JAMES MORTON.

